User Defenders – UX Design & Personal Growth

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What the Next Season is Looking Like… Jun 21, 2020

Show notes

Image credit Joseph Chan

This episode is me apologizing for the literal radio silence and filling you in on all the very valid reasons why I’ve been MIA with new content here in this feed, and what the new plan is going forward.

I miss you, and I miss putting content out regularly, but there have been (and continue to be) some significant transitions in my own world, not to mention the world at large that have impacted me and this show…

“For everything there is a season…” — Ecc 3:1

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071: User Defenders Live – A Panel on Design Accessibility, Diversity & Ethics with Mina Markham, Derek Featherstone and Farai Madzima Feb 14, 2020

Show notes

Prefer to watch the video from An Event Apart?

I had the great honor of being invited back to An Event Apart Denver (2019) to record a live podcast episode with Mina Markham, Farai Madzima, & Derek Featherstone on the important topics of Accessibility, Design Inclusion & Ethics, Hiring & Retaining Diverse Talent and Landing a Job in UX.

Amazingly, we were able to cover all of this in just under an hour!

Thanks to the co-founders of An Event Apart, Jeffrey Zeldman + Eric Meyer for letting me share a stage I’ve revered for over a decade now, thanks to Toby, Marci, Mike & company for the amazing work behind the scenes at every AEA event. Also, very special thanks to Todd Libby for capturing this amazing 4K video on his new iPhone he got just to do this for me.

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070: Harnessing Life Experiences in Design with Shaheena Attarwala Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen

Shaheena Attarwala defends a woman’s right to design her own future, especially in the face of fierce adversity and opposition. She champions living ruthlessly amid oppressive whims and societal precepts. She’s a magnet that brings the issues forward and carries the water for anyone who dreams of raising their standards and never settling for status quo expectations. She’ll persuade you to hunker down, prove your grit, and rattle some cages if you have to. This episode is not just about design. So make your way or step aside. It’s time to hear her metaphoric journey, examine your own life, and bring more awareness to poverty and oppression. In other words…sh*t’s about to get real!

Shaheena is a UX Design Manager at Zoomcar, India’s first self-drive platform. At Zoomcar, Shaheena leads the UX team to build a definitive, hyper-local, multi-modal urban mobility transport solution for India and emerging economies, with close collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Born to a conservative family in a village of Uttar Pradesh to growing up in the grimy slums of Mumbai, her repugnant experiences propelled her to reduce ‘bad’ human experiences by creating more impactful and empowering solutions through a seamless union of human-centred design, curiosity, intuition and logical reasoning. In this journey of adversity, Shaheena is the first generation in her clan to rebel her way towards educating herself and changing mindsets about a girl child.

Shaheena harnesses her life experiences while building solutions. Living a frugal life has taught her empathy and compassion for fellow humans and the planet.

She’s passionate about human behaviour and cross-cultural experiences and loves reaching out to people and sharing perspectives, for she believes that is a sincere way to learn and form sustainable communities!

Apart from making the digital world a better place by building better experiences every day, she also endeavours to reshape the lives of the less fortunate by blending design, technology and her legal skills. Over the years, her initiatives to create a positive impact has received recognition from the United Nations.

Fun fact: She loves children’s bedtime stories even now. She asks close friends, her mom or siblings to tell her stories. If that’s not possible, she puts some online to listen to, and falls fast asleep

Origin Story (3:56)
A Kid’s View (6:25)
Oppression In Cultures (8:42)
Ah-Ha Moments (11:38)
Family Relations (13:48)
How Did You Find Design? (16:52)
What’s Driving You? (20:53)
Design Influence (22:26)
Legal Skills and Design (33:04)
Gaining Empathy (35:29)
Don Norman (40:59)
Teaching Curiosity (45:45)
Harnessing Life Experiences (59:36)
Story Banks (1:02:49)
Design Superpower (1:06:46)
Design Kryptonite (1:07:20)
UX Superhero Name (1:08:32)
Habit of Success (1:08:58)
Recommended Book (1:10:15)
Taking Risks (1:12:24)
Best Advice (1:14:26)

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069: We Are All Pioneers with Sophia Prater Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen

Sophia Prater reminds us that we’re all pioneers in a field that is changing every minute. She encourages us to use forcing functions by getting the gig first, and then figuring it out. She introduces us to a design philosophy she pioneered called Object-Oriented UX which is all about taking really complex problems, and breaking them down into parts and organizing them. She also reminds us that in order to be successful in this field, we must become lifelong learners.

Sophia Prater is the Chief Evangelist of Object-Oriented UX (OOUX), a methodology she started popularizing in 2013. She teaches OOUX methodologies at conferences, within companies, and through 1-on-1 coaching. She loves mentoring— She leads the Atlanta chapter of Ladies that UX and she created the UX Hustle Summit Conference and she hosts the UX Hustle Podcast. Before starting Rewired, she led UX efforts for clients such as AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Athena Healthcare, Coca-Cola, the IRS, and the Australian Tax Office. As a UX designer at CNN.com, she designed the responsive 2012 election night experience viewed by over 200 million. In 2016, she returned (as a consultant) to do it again. Today, she focuses on bringing the magic of OOUX to companies and teams around the world. Fun fact: She’s super into city planning and urban design for walkability and public transit (the UX of a city!) — she’s been car-free in Atlanta for about 10 years!

Origin Story (4:58)
Biggest Failure (10:46)
Design Superpower (25:57)
What is OOUX? (30:27)
Design Kryptonite (38:12)
UX Superhero Name (42:28)
Habit of Success (46:57)
Invincible Resource (51:05)
Recommended Book (52:52)
Best Advice (55:26)

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068: People May be the Most Important Thing You Build as a Designer with Braden Kowitz Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen

Braden Kowitz reveals how human-centered design has everything to do with the humans we design and build with every day. He advocates for a genuinely supportive environment where it’s okay to be who you are, and where you’re encouraged to speak up, and openly share how you’re truly feeling. He reminds us to acknowledge that life isn’t perfect, and neither are we…and that’s also okay. He articulates the origin story and evolution of design patterns and explains why ‘ugly’ may sometimes appear to win. He also challenges us to consider how the metrics we typically depend on, may not be telling us the complete story.

Braden is a Product Designer and Co-Founder at Range Labs, where he makes software that helps teams work better together. Prior to starting Range, Braden was a design partner at Google Ventures, where he founded the first design team at a venture capital fund and co-developed the Design Sprint process. Braden was also an early designer at Google and led the design of several products including Gmail, GSuite, Google Spreadsheets, and Google Trends. He’s really into bicycle advocacy lately.

Free Time (7:49)
Grounding Techniques (8:36)
Mindful Techniques (9:26)
Origin Story (16:25)
Form, Function, and Balance (19:38)
Managing Design Ambiguity (26:50)
Establishing Design Patterns (37:57)
What Have You Been Up To? (47:05)
From Designer to Co-Founder (49:09)
Dealing with Tradeoffs (52:02)
Creative Side Hustles (52:41)
Who Is This Product For? (53:47)
Design Superpower (57:00)
Design Kryptonite (58:15)
UX Superhero Name (59:45)
Habit of Success (1:01:03)
Recommended Book (1:02:59)
Best Advice (1:04:13)
Tips on Culture (1:05:11)

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067: Design for How People Think with John Whalen Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen

Dr. John Whalen teaches us what it means to design for how people think. He reveals the powerful principals behind what he calls the six minds of user experience, and explains how anybody can harness them to build better products (no doctorate degree required!). He reminds us that it takes serious research to reveal the deep insights that genuinely make our products successful for the user and the business. He also encourages us to understand that no one is more qualified than anyone else in solving unique problems.

Buy the Book

Buy Design for How People Think through my Amazon affiliate link, and help User Defenders at no additional cost to you. Win/win!

Own this Gem

John Whalen is the founder and Lead of Psychological Insights & Innovation at Brilliant Experience. He is an international speaker, and author of the recently published book Design for How People Think: Using Brain Science to Build Better Products (O’Reilly). John helps businesses use psychological research to strategically position their products, services, and marketing. He has a PhD in Cognitive Science and 15+ years of experience working in user research and product design with Fortune 500 companies and design agencies including Google, PayPal, Bloomberg, eBay, Cisco, Capital One, and Johns Hopkins. Little known fun filled facts: He’s camped North of the Arctic Circle on 12 feet of ice and he’s a green-eyed, left-handed Psychology PhD, making him (statistically at least) 1-in-a-million.

Psychology and UX (5:04)
Six Minds of Experience (8:48)
Impact of Psychology (10:54)
Acronym Cheat Sheet (16:03)
Three Phone Numbers (17:08)
Dark Psychology (25:21)
Designing for Delight (31:24)
Contextual Inquiries (42:50)
Upside-Down Design (49:37)
Design Superpower (56:09)
Design Kryptonite (57:04)
UX Superhero Name (58:43)
Habit of Success (59:05)
Recommended Book (1:08:02)
Best Advice (1:10:38)

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066: Is Web Design Dead? with Jeffrey Zeldman Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Cesar Lemus

Jeffrey Zeldman answers the provocative question, “Is Web Design Dead?”. He enlightens us to what the Web was, where it’s at now, and where it could go in the future. He touches on the many short-sighted predictions that tend to prod our delicate psyches such as automation and new technologies poised to replace Web Designers. He encourages us to ignore the rhetoric and continue to learn as tools change how Web Design is done. He also emphasizes that the Web was built on sharing, and that we must continue to share if we want to not only protect its spirit, but keep it alive and thriving.

Jeffrey Zeldman is the Godfather of Web Design, and unquestionably the greatest friend of the Web. He’s a guy behind highly esteemed Web Design content initiatives such as A List Apart, An Event Apart and A Book Apart. He’s a prolific speaker and heavily influential blogger. He’s the Author of the our industry’s staple: Designing with Web Standards. He’s the host of The Big Web Show. He’s also the founder of renown Web Design studio Happy Cog. Back in the day, he played synth and Casiotone with The Insect Surfers, a DC post-punk techno-surf band.

Godfather of Web Design (3:58)
Is Web Design Dead? (5:58)
Moving to In-House Design (12:59)
Opposition (21:25)
How’d It Make You Feel? (26:14)
Ask Customer Service First (31:20)
Small Business Owners and The Web (39:27)
Early Days of The Web (41:13)
Keeping the Spirit Alive (49:40)

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065: Yes, AI Will Replace Designers with Jasmine Oh Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen

Jasmine Oh informs us that AI will one day replace our current jobs as designers. She challenges us to adapt to AI since no career field is exempt from its influences. She also reminds us not to fear AI but to harness it to our advantage instead. She reveals that AI shouldn’t be judged as a gloomy UX future but as a medium that supports our most meaningful work in new roles. She also encourages us to challenge stakeholders when shallow data is used to feed requirements into a product.

Jasmine Oh is a UX Designer in the Windows Product Direction team at Microsoft which is an incubation team helping define future vision of computing. She named herself after Jasmine the Princess from Aladdin. (Woo Jung is her official name, which means “friendship” in Korean.)

Working at Microsoft (4:58)
AI at Work (6:17)
5-Year View of AI (8:03)
Today’s Work Intersects with the Future (10:16)
How Recognition Works (11:58)
How Long Before Jobs Are Gone (15:50)
Behavior and System Designers (17:36)
What Does the Future Designer Look Like? (23:34)
Being Human and Empathy (29:00)
Microsoft CEO (31:58)
Ways to Stay Ahead (33:25)
Educational Resources (36:30)
Design Superpower (40:13)
Design Kryptonite (40:47)
Secret Identity (42:51)
Double and Triple-checking the Facts (43:57)
Recommended Book (46:41)
Habit of Success (47:24)
Best Advice (49:06)

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064: How to Become Indistractable with Nir Eyal Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

Nir Eyal teaches us how to harness the skill of the century… becoming Indistractable. He reminds us that distraction is an action that starts from within. He motivates us to take command of our personal development in a world that is frequently competing for our attention. He encourages us to recognize the external triggers that don’t serve us and how to be more mindful of those that do. He also shares what it takes to be competitive in an increasingly automated job market.

Buy the Book

Buy Indistractable through my Amazon affiliate link, and help User Defenders at no additional cost to you. Win/win!

Buy Indistractable

Nir Eyal is the author of Hooked: How to build habit-forming products. His latest book, Indistractable shows us how to overcome distraction, and gain one of the most important skills of the 21st century. He runs a popular blog about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. His primary focus is on what he calls “behavioral design” which encompasses user experience, behavioral economics, and a dash of neuroscience. He’s taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Design. He has sold two technology companies and now help teams design more engaging products. For most of his career he’s worked in the video gaming and advertising industries where he learned, applied (and at times rejected) the techniques used to motivate and manipulate users. He writes to help companies create behaviors that benefit their users, while educating people on how to build healthful habits in their own lives. He received most of his education earning an advanced degree from the The School of Hard Knocks as well as an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also wrestled for 4 years in high school and never won a match.

Book Origin Story (3:59)
Response to Hooked (7:59)
Seeking Relief (15:25)
My Daily Milky Way (33:40)
Breaking Habits in Stuck Environments (35:31)
Pharmaceutical Distractions (42:13)
Where Are We Heading? (45:46)
Did You Ever Find Out? (49:54)
What Superpower Would You Want? (54:06)

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063: Mindset & Learning How to Learn with Jessica Ivins Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

Artwork by Eli Jorgensen

Jessica Ivins schools us on the critical value of a growth mindset in UX Design. She teaches us how to learn how to learn. She enlightens us as to why it’s always better to generalize before specializing. She reminds us introverts that we can only truly succeed by extroverting. She also reveals how the best tool recommendations can only come when it’s clear what one is trying to learn.

Jessica Ivins is a user experience (UX) designer and faculty member at Center Centre, the UX design school in Chattanooga, TN, where she prepares students to be industry-ready UX designers.

Jessica dedicates much of her time to the UX community. She founded the Chattanooga UX Design Meetup, the first community organization for UX design in Chattanooga. She speaks internationally at conferences such as SXSW, Midwest UX, IA Summit, and UX Cambridge (UK). She publishes UX articles on her blog and on Medium. She’s also a voracious reader of design books, business books, and novels.

Before joining Center Centre, Jessica worked in the Philadelphia area as a senior experience designer at Happy Cog and the lead UX designer at AWeber. While in Philadelphia, she spoke at dozens of meetups and local events. She taught classes for Girl Develop It, led UX Book Club, and served on the board of Philadelphia’s UX community, PhillyCHI.

Fun fact: She’s loved unicorns since she was a small child, long before they were hipster cool.